Texas Trouble 03 - Double the Trouble

by Becky McGraw

  Finally, he pulled back from her, but didn't let her go. His breathing was uneven and his face a little flushed when he told her, "There, now that's definitely what I'll remember about you," then kissed her forehead and reached for her hand. "Let's go have that beer...you ready?"

  Karlie couldn't find her voice, so she just nodded and walked beside him to the front door. "Let's go in the Lincoln, so you don't have to drive your patrol car," she told him then handed him the keys to Freddie. "You better be damned careful, because Freddie is only used to me driving him. I didn't even let Jake drive him."

  Gabe stopped at the porch steps and turned her to face him, then his shoulders stiffened and he asked, "Who the hell are Freddie and Jake?"

  She smiled and said, "Well, Freddie is my Lincoln..." then her smile faded and she added, "And Jake is my boyfriend--well, ex-boyfriend--thank, god."

  The tension in his shoulders eased, and he gave her a sexy smile. "Yeah, thank, god," he agreed then dropped his arm over her shoulders and walked her to the car.

  Gabe opened her door for her, then after she got in, he went around to the driver's seat. She wanted to laugh when she saw his hand tremble when he went to put the keys into the ignition. "I'm surprised you don't have a pickup truck. Seems like all the men around here have pickups."

  "I'm not from around here, and I prefer classics, I have a 1968 Camaro, but it's still in Arizona," he said surprising her with his choice of rides. He turned the key and Freddie roared to life. She loved the sound of Freddie's engine, it made her chest rumble. Gabe hit the gas once and revved the engine, then looked over at her with appreciation in his eyes and asked, "Damn, girl...what's this thing got under the hood?"

  She grinned then purred, "A rocket, baby...."

  His eyes lit up with excitement when he asked, "Horsepower?"

  "The stock 460 had three-hundred ninety horse...with the hood scoop, manifold and exhaust, and other air flow modifications I made, it'll probably hit four-twenty five now, give or take."

  He whistled, then rubbed the dash, before he looked back at her and said, "I'm impressed, Karlie...you did all this?"

  He sounded disbelieving like most of the men she knew. Just because she was female didn't mean she was missing the chromosome that meant she could work on a car. It wasn't rocket science...well in the case of her Lincoln, maybe it was, she thought with a chuckle.

  "I screwed on every single bolt. I did have help installing the hood scoop though." Only because she wasn't good with body work, and she wanted to make sure it looked right. "When I wasn't in a rodeo somewhere, this is what I worked on. I took auto shop class in high school after I got it, because I was determined to fix it up...and what do you know I fell in love with mechanics."

  He rubbed the white leather seat, "You redo the interior too?"

  She laughed and told him, "I don't sew, so no, I had that done too."

  He flicked the hot pink dice on the rearview and said, "I suppose you installed these too?"

  "Nah, they came with the car," she said and hooted when his eyes widened. "Sarge likes them."

  "I got my lick from Sarge in the family room earlier. You're right he does like me," Gabe told her, his eyes twinkling.

  "He has good taste," she told him then the thought of her licking Gabe all over popped into her head and hot desire shot through her body. Then she reminded herself that she did not want or need a man in her life right now. She'd just gotten rid of one, or was trying too. Even if this one looked good enough to lick all over and kissed like a porn star, she wasn't getting into another relationship now. Hell, Jake might have ruined her on those for good.

  But maybe a little hot sex with him wouldn't be a bad thing, her inner voice whispered.

  Evidently the sparks shooting through her, hit Gabe as well, because he leaned forward for what looked like another kiss, so she put her hand on his chest then said quickly, "We gonna sit here all day, or are you gonna give Freddie his head?"

  Gabe looked at her strangely, and she threw back her head laughed then told him, "Sorry, I forget you're not a cowboy...that means let him take off and show you what he's got...where are you from anyway?"

  "Outside of Phoenix...and that doesn't mean I'm not a cowboy, sugar. There are cowboys in Arizona too, and plenty of farms and ranches. I just didn't ride much, even though my daddy owned a farm. My sister did all the riding," he told her seeming a little put out that she'd slighted him.

  She put her hand on his arm, "I'm sorry Gabe, I didn't mean to insult you..." It must be a sore spot for him here in cowboy land. Well, although Karlie thought he looked hot as hell like he was, if he wanted to look like a cowboy, he needed to get with the program for sure. The jeans he had on were urban wear, not Wranglers or Levis, and the t-shirt had a big tribal bird on it, and those combat boots would have to go. He also needed a hat and belt that didn't have a thin silver buckle. Maybe she'd take him shopping and dude him up...and teach him to ride.

  Oh, hell here she went again...he was a fixer upper, and if there was something Karlie had a problem avoiding, it was projects. From cars to men, the more they needed fixing, the more they interested her. Look at Jake...but she'd been a failure there. She should have known the testosterone-soaked cowboy was not fixable, but instead of hightailing it outta there, she kept telling herself to give it a little more time, try a little harder, and see where that had gotten her.

  Gabe put the car into reverse and then forward and tapped the gas, Freddie took off like a bullet and slammed her against the back of the seat. She gabbed the 'oh shit' handle, then yelled, "Whoa! Easy, Freddie is sensitive..."

  With a laugh, Gabe eased his foot off the gas then took the side of the rutted dirt driveway, so he didn't ruin the suspension. They made it to the paved road then he headed toward town. He couldn't believe she'd let him drive her car. The damned thing was immaculate and drove like a dream. It had so much leashed power, it made him itch to get down on it.

  Gabe missed his Camaro...it was still in Mesa, and wouldn't be here until next week. He was having it transported, so he didn't put the miles on it, and so he could drive the moving truck to Bowie. Cole had wanted him here quick, so he didn't want to slow himself down with pulling it behind the truck. This next thing on his list of things to do to settle in Bowie was finding his own place. He really needed to get out of Cole and Sabrina's house. All that lovey-dovey, newlywed crap was getting to him...and they needed their space too.

  He glanced over at the beautiful redhead, who was probably the last person he should be going out with in this town. Their first meeting had been much less than ideal, but he couldn't stop thinking about her. She was damned interesting to him for some reason, a puzzle he couldn't solve, but was determined to try.

  It was true what he told her earlier, Gabe did like his women with edge, but she had enough to cut his throat, if he wasn't careful. Karlie Upton was trouble with a capital T, but he seemed to have been sucked into her orbit, and damned if he could get away. Like driving this car, he thought he might as well just hang on for the ride.

  CHAPTER THREE

  After driving her powerful car from the Double B to the bar, Gabe could see why she'd been going as fast as she had. Several times, he had to check himself, when he wandered over the double nickel accidentally. That car didn't like to be held back, and it seemed a shame to do it, but he had just barely. One day, he ask her if they could take it out to the country road where he'd tried out the cruiser and see what 'Freddie' could really do.

  Parking at the station, so they didn't have to try to find a spot on the street, Gabe got out of the car and locked the door, then went to Karlie's side and helped her out. When she got out of the car and that short skirt of hers rode up giving him an unfettered view of her long legs. The woman had legs for days...all the way up to her neck, it seemed...the thought of them wrapped around him sent the blood in his head straight south.

  Gabe put his hand on her lower back to walk her to the bar, and a sweet honeysuckle type
perfume wafted up to his nose and floated to his brain, causing all kinds of short circuits.

  Taking a deep breath, he inhaled a lungful of her intoxicating scent and felt slightly drunk from the experience, before he even got into the bar and had a beer.

  At least five cowboys grinned at her and tipped their damned hats, before they made it to the door, which led him to put his hand on her waist and pull her closer to him, before giving them warning looks. When he and Karlie finally got into the dimly lit bar, they headed over to the crowded bar to get a beer. Leaving her standing outside the throng of cowboys lining the bar, Gabe leaned between the only two men who didn't have hats on, and tried to get the bartender's attention.

  Holding up two fingers, he mouthed 'beers', and thankfully the guy nodded, because it was so loud in here, he would never have heard the words. It took him a few minutes to come back with two longnecks and take Gabe's money, and when Gabe turned around to find Karlie, she was talking to three cowboys, one of which had his hand on her ass.

  Gabe had a bad feeling bringing her here was not a good idea, after all.

  One of the men leaned near her ear and said something, and she smiled that beautiful white, wide open smile at him, and Gabe knew the man must have just melted into the floor. That's the effect that smile had on him, and he didn't think the cowboy was immune either. She held one finger up then looked back over her shoulder, and smiled at Gabe, before she turned and walked over to him.

  Gabe didn't feel like smiling, he felt like punching that cowboy in the face. Making his feet move from the spot where they'd been planted, he walked over and handed her a beer. Karlie took a long drink then handed the bottle back to him, and said, "I'm gonna go dance for a song or two, I'll be right back...don't run off," then turned and walked back toward the other man without giving him a chance to say anything.

  What did he look like, a fucking beer caddy? She probably thought he didn't know how to dance. He really didn't, he'd done it a time or two and could do it, but he wasn't a great two-stepper...he preferred slow dancing. It wasn't really something he liked doing...but he disliked her dancing with that cowboy even less than he disliked dancing.

  Gabe went and sat down at at high table by the edge of the dance floor and set the beers down. He emptied his in three long swallows, then started on hers. From the looks of it, the beer would be hot by the time she finished dancing.

  Watching that guy twirl her around on that dance floor, moving with her like they'd been dancing together for years, and seeing the smile on her face, made him want to chew the bottles he'd just finished emptying. Gabe was the one who had asked her out for a beer, she should be sitting here talking to him, leaving him like this was pretty rude on her part.

  Gabe got up and went to get another couple of beers, and bumped into a cowgirl on the way. He looked down at her to apologize, and did a double take. Literally...a double take. How the hell could Karlie get off the floor that fast, he wondered and looked back there. His eyes widened when he saw her still dancing, then he looked back down at the gorgeous redhead he'd just bumped into. "Katie?" he said incredulously, because he had no doubt this was Karlie's sister. He also noticed she had on jeans and a western shirt, instead of the hot outfit that Karlie had worn tonight.

  She gave him Karlie's wide-toothed smile, but her bright blue eyes weren't filled with mischief. "You must've met Karlie," she said and huffed out a breath. "I'm the good twin," she told him then chuckled. It was a cute little chuckle, not a pig sty snort like her sister, which disappointed him.

  He also noticed other small differences between them too, like the tiny scar at the edge of her left eyebrow, and her eyetooth that turned a little bit inward. Hell, he could just look in their eyes and tell them apart. Karlie's held devilment and passion, and Kate's held only honesty and sincerity.

  "Oh yeah, I've met her..." he said then laughed because the beer was starting to take the edge off of his anger, as was this cute redheaded imitation of the woman he really wanted to be talking to.

  "Oh, god, what did she do now?" Kate said and shook her head.

  "C'mon let me buy you a beer and I'll tell you," Gabe said then slipped his arm around her waist. If he couldn't have the real thing, at least this carbon copy of her would keep him occupied, while the hellion was dancing her legs off.

  "That sounds great, thanks," she told him with a grin.

  He bought four more beers and then led her to the table he'd been sitting at watching Karlie, and they sat down. "So, why are you in town? How'd you find us here?"

  "Oh! Are you and Karlie here together? You must be Gabe...Cassie told me she saw ya'll leaving the ranch together, and figured you might be coming here."

  Gabe liked Katie's bubbly personality, but she was so sweet it made his teeth hurt. "Yeah, I asked her out for a beer, to pay her back for fixing my patrol car...but it looks like she's more into dancing than drinking," he told her and used his bottle to point out Karlie on the dance floor. She was with a different guy now, but she was still smiling, and so was the guy she was dancing with. Gabe ground his teeth when he noticed where the guys hands were. He'd about had enough of this torture.

  "Wow, it didn't take her long this time," Katie said then took a swig of her beer.

  "What do you mean?" Gabe looked over at her and asked.

  "She's got you and every cowboy in town wrapped around her pinkie..."

  That made him sit up and take notice. Gabe didn't appreciate teases...and from the looks of how Karlie was dancing and acting, she might very well be that. He liked upfront women who wanted the same thing as he did, no games, just sex. Gabe didn't chase women...or fight other men for them. He didn't have to.

  A slow song came on and he asked, "You wanna dance, Katie?" then he stood up and took her arm when she slid off the stool. He smiled down at her and led her to the middle of the floor where the belly rubbers were dancing, not moving, just swaying. That was his speed, and the more he thought about it, Kate was probably much more his speed than Karlie. At least she seemed interested in dancing with him.

  When they got to the middle of the floor, Gabe pulled her into his arms and she slid hers around his neck and leaned into him. He put his cheek to her hair and rubbed and a spicy scent wafted up to his nostrils, so unlike the fresh honeysuckle scent Karlie had on, it was a shock to his system. Dammit, forget about Karlie...you've got her identical twin in your arms, enjoy it, he told himself and then pulled Kate tighter against him and swayed to the music with her.

  After a few minutes, Gabe reluctantly admitted that although they were identical twins, evidently his libido knew the difference, because Katie nothing for him. Not even a little spark of interest flared inside of him, so he just held her and finished the dance. When it was over, he leaned down and kissed her cheek, then dropped his arm around her shoulders, and whispered near her ear, "Thanks for the dance, sugar."

  She smiled that bright, knee melting Karlie smile at him, and he still felt nothing. He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around to meet the angry, but identical, blue eyes of the sister he held in his arms.

  "What the hell are you doing here, Katie?" Karlie said with a hand on her hip.

  "I came to talk to you...we need to talk about the team. JoJo is getting fat just being in a stall, and I'm not going to trailer him from rodeo to rodeo, if you aren't going to ride with me anymore. I need you, Karlie...I want you to come back. Jake is really pissed about Sarge too."

  Karlie snorted and crossed her arms under her breasts, "Jake can go fuck himself," she told her sister.

  "Can I go fuck myself too, Sis? Cause that's what you've basically done to me by leaving the team without any warning." Gabe was shocked that the crude word, that he used all too often, came out of the sweet, but evidently not so innocent twin. Her blue eyes were also angry now like Karlie's.

  "I'm working on getting you another partner, Kate...I've been a little, um, detained since I got to Bowie," she said then cut her eyes at Gabe, before looking back
at her sister.

  "Come back with me, Karlie...you've only missed one competition. We can pull it back together," Kate pleaded.

  "I can't," Karlie told her then looked away toward the dance floor. "And please don't tell Jake where I am...it would cause problems."

  "I haven't told Jake a damned thing, and I don't plan to, but you need to get your head out of your ass and think about us...about how we earn a living. The money we make is a lot to give up, Karlie."

  "I don't have any money, Katie...Jake made sure of that..." Karlie took off her hat then smoothed her hair and put it back on. "I have a new job here, and I'm staying...so just go back to Dallas and leave me alone."

  Gabe noticed that Karlie's eyes had filled with tears and wondered why. He dropped his arm from around Katie's shoulders and grabbed her to ask, "What's wrong, Karlie?" She just shook her head and turned away from them and walked over to a cowboy she'd danced with earlier, and went back to the dance floor.